KEY POINTS

  • Utah traded Exum to Cleveland for Clarkson
  • Jazz fans are not thrilled about the trade
  • Clarkson is expected to provide Jazz scoring off the bench

The first exchange of the NBA trade season went down on Monday night as the Utah Jazz agreed to send Dante Exum to Cleveland for Jordan Clarkson. The move from the Northwest team was made to bolster its bench scoring output, acquiring a proven scorer in the Filipino-American player while sending away a seldom-used back-up guard who “has struggled to stay healthy in his career,” according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Despite appearing to be the winner of the deal, some fans from Salt Lake City seem to be unenthusiastic about having the 27-year-old former second-round pick in their camp.

Clarkson has the numbers to back-up his billing as a prolific offensive weapon as he averages 14.6 points a game so far this year. His largest output of the season came interestingly in their last game against the Grizzlies where he scored 33 markers on a 12 of 27 shooting clip.

The front office along with Quin Snyder and his staff could just be acting in response to the squad’s current state, which at the time of the trade was sitting on a hot streak. In a stacked Western Conference, the move is perhaps an implication that the team is all locked in to keep their heads above water all the way to the postseason.

But while the doors of the Vivint Smart Home Arena are opened for his offensive exploits, most fans still perceive the former NBA Rookie First Team member as a defensive liability, with some even projecting him to be a burden on sets where he has the tendency to go on isolation.

Two of the Jazz’s second-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023 are also part of the deal, Woj said. “The Jazz will send Cleveland a 2022 (via San Antonio) and 2023 (via Golden State) second-round picks, sources said. This was the NBA's first trade since the Houston-Oklahoma City deal centered on Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul on July 11.”

Jordan Clarkson has a year left in his $13.4 million contract while Exum has two more years which is worth $19.2 million. According to ESPN front-office insider Bobby Marks, the Cavs will create a one-year valid $3.83 million trade exception in the deal.

Jordan Clarkson
Jordan Clarkson could be traded in the offseason by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jordan Clarkson #8 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dribbles during the preseason game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on October 2, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. Getty Images/Maddie Meyer
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